Toledo train crash kills at least 30 as one service hits stopped rival line

Spanish authorities confirmed on Wednesday that at least 30 people died when two high-speed trains collided in the province of Toledo. The incident occurred on a flat stretch of track between the towns of Urda and Los Yébenes, forcing rail operators to suspend service along the corridor connecting Madrid, Ciudad Real, and Andalusia.

The crash involved a state-owned RENFE train and a privately operated IRYO train, both traveling in the same direction from Madrid toward Seville. Esther Padilla, a spokeswoman for the Castilla La Mancha regional government, stated that the RENFE train struck the rear of the IRYO train, which had already come to a stop. The impact knocked two IRYO cars off the track, leaving one car shattered into metal fragments scattered across a gravel slope.

Initial reports from Spanish authorities listed ten fatalities, but local media and the state news agency EFE raised the toll to 30. Padilla noted that the RENFE train carried 397 passengers while the IRYO train held 147. She indicated that the death count would likely increase as rescue operations continued.

Spanish Health Minister Mónica García described the event as a high-speed impact and a tragedy. Emergency workers prioritized rescuing survivors and bodies from the two most damaged cars. Injured passengers were transported to various hospitals in the region, while the mayor of Urda, Manuel Galán, reported that civil protection officials asked his town hall to prepare a local sports pavilion to accommodate the injured.

A military emergency brigade joined firefighters and police at the scene. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez canceled his schedule to monitor the situation and posted on social media that he was dismayed by the accident. He noted that emergency services were attending to affected passengers. Emiliano García-Page, the president of Castilla La Mancha, said he was traveling to the crash site.

This is the second major rail accident in Spain this year. In January, a train derailed in southern Spain and struck an oncoming vehicle, killing 45 people. That crash was the deadliest in the country since 2013. Spanish media reported that trains from RENFE and IRYO were also involved in the January incident. IRYO, an Italian-owned company, said it activated security protocols and is working closely with authorities.